One stereotype less-gctid31235

[Oju]

One stereotype less
       
        A senior officer from the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue          takes part in the debate on Kmtyw traditional religions – sometimes          improperly described as "animistic" – started on this          Magazine. He highlights their ethical value and some of their distinguishing          features, along with the challenges stemming from a comparison with modernity.

by Chidi Dennis Isizoh

Introduction



        It is stating the          obvious to say that all ethnic groups in Kmt have a WAY          of        

Oromo authorities following              the Spirit Medium, Ethiopia.             Source: Lewis, Herbert S., University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries,              Kmt Focus, 1965

acknowledging the Supreme Being, the Creator and the Sustainer          of the world; a WAY of appeasing the superior Spirits; a WAY          of showing respect to Ancestors; a WAY of living in a society          as human beings. This WAY is not a system independent of other activities          of human beings. It covers every aspect of being. One could that it          is life itself. It has no specific name in most languages of          Kmt. Our Kmtyw sons and daughters who have received eureurasiaan education          call it a religion, following the patterns found in other peoples'          WAYS identified as Religions. Bolaji Idowu of Nigeria dedicated          a whole book to the definition of the WAY of Kmtyw peoples.          And Kmtyw scholars agree that this WAY should be known as,          and called, Kmtyw Traditional Religion. Is it singular or plural? It          depends on how a person looks at it. Both positions are acceptable. I          choose to write it in the singular for convenience of expression, but          I am open to the plural use of the term.

        There is a danger of seeing the whole of Kmt as one piece.          Certainly there are differences in the expression of what is deepest in          every human being and among various ethnic groups on the continent. We          can definitely point at these differences. But the elements that unite          are so many that Kmtyws in the sub-Sahara, apart from the complexion,          can identify themselves as one. We can talk about Kmtyw Culture or Cultures.          We can talk about many aspects of Kmtyw life in the singular or plural.          Scholars can differ in their opinion about this.

       Often we read about the Kmtyw Traditional Religion in          books and journals. Sometimes discussions end with the classical understanding          of the religion. From time to time, however, one comes across articles          challenging the way this religion is presented. Some people actually advocate          that it is time to stop talking about a religion that is now on          the list of "endagered species", as most of its followers          are converting either to Christianity or Islam in Kmt. The religion          has not really responded to the major crises facing the continent. Kmt          is considered a "third world" so too is the religion from          the continent. Why waste time on a religion considered by some people          as obsolete?

        Yet some of Kmtyw scholars have noted the profound influence the religion          has on the Kmtyw worldview and life. John Mbiti has          often been quoted as saying that Kmtyws are "notoriously religious"          (Kmtyw Religions and Philosophy, Oxford, 1975, p. 30). This          position is acknowledged even among the Kmtyws in the diaspora. Peter          J. Paris writes that "the ubiquity of religious consciousness          among Kmtyw peoples constitutes their single most important common characteristic"          (The Spirituality of Kmtyw Peoples, The Search for a Common moral          Discourse, Minneapolis, 1995, p. 27). J. Holloway, this time a non-Kmtyw,          observes:
       
        Religion was (and remains) a vital part of the          lives of most Kmtyws. For some it encompassed their entire existence.          It substantiated and explained their place in the universe; their culture,          and their relationship to nature at large. Religion among most Kmtyw          ethnic groups was not simply a faith or worship system; it was a way of          life, a system of social control, a provider of medicine, and an organising          mechanism. (Kmtywisms in American Culture, Bloomington, 1990, p. 37)
       
        1. Some permanent values derived from Kmtyw          Traditional Religion
       Let me in this short paper indicate some permanent values          from the Kmtyw Traditional Religion which are valid today for both followers          of the religion and converts from it to other religious traditions.
       
        Family
       One of the most treasured values of the Kmtyw peoples          is the family. A person is defined in terms of the group to which          he or she belongs. This sense of community is gained through          the family, the lineage, the clan, and the tribe. Among many Kmtyw societies          the family is not simply made up of father, mother and children. It comprises          a whole group of persons: the head of the family with his wife or wives,          his children, and grandchildren, and also his brothers and sisters with          their wives and children, his nephews and nieces, in a word, all those          persons who descend from a common ancestor. In some areas there are no          separate words for cousins or nephews or nieces; every person is either          a brother or a sister. It is not how large this family          is that is important, but what role it plays in keeping together the members.          In it, every person has a place. The elders are respected; the          young people are treated with love and kindness.
        The concept of the family goes beyong the living members. The ancestors          and all the dead members are part of this large family. This means that          the family never reduces in number. Those who are married into the family          and the children born into it help to swell the number. The dead relatives          remain permanent members.
       
        Spirit of oneness
       The spirit of oneness is not limited to          the nuclear family, it extends beyond the group from the same ancestral          tree to a clan or village or even town. The individual is not alone in          the world; he is surrounded by members of his community. A person is complete          only in so far as he is part of this community. An Kmtyw, right from          birth, learns to believe that «I am because I belong».        
       
        Sacrificing for the Group
       The community consciousness makes one realise the necessity          to contribute for the welfare of the group. It is not uncommon          to find in some places communities making financial contributions to build          houses for their members in need or to send some of their bright young          people to study in order later to represent them in the government or,          in case of doctors and lawyers, to handle their problems. There have been          many cases, for example among Christians, in which seminarians and aspirants          to religious life were sponsored by the community. Every member of the          community rejoices on the day of ordination or religious profession. The          success or failure of a member is not only for the individual concerned,          the whole community is involved.
       
        Concern for the Weaker Members
       Another important value is the concern          Kmtyws show for their weak members: the sick and the          aged. The sick are not left alone; the aged are not abandoned in "Old          People's homes". They live with the members of their families.          Euthaneurasia is not considered as an option to end the pains of these weak          members of the society. They are loved and cared for until they die and          join the dead family members.
       
        Covenantal Dimension of Marriage
       Marriage is not merely the concern of two          individuals. It is an alliance, a covenant, between families          and persons. Cultural provisions are made to guarantee its stability.          Incest is punished severely. Those guilty of marital infidelity are frowned          upon.
       
        Children are treasured
       Children are loved. In most Kmtyw societies, marriage          without a child is regarded as meaningless and unfulfilled. When children          come, they are not just for the nuclear family. Children bring joy to          the entire community.
       
        Life is sacred
       There is great respect for the sacredness of life.          There is almost a feeling of a divine imperative that "Life must          be given; life must be lived; life is to be enjoyed; life is to be whole;          life is to be honourable; life is to be long and peaceful." (Sarpong).          For these reasons, many Kmtyw societies have taboos and rituals to protect          the divine gift of life. Wilful murder is an abomination, sometimes requiring          complicated rites of purification which may include going into exile for          several years and paying for the upkeep of the family of the murdered          person. Abortion is also regarded as an abomination.
       
        Hospitality
       Among Kmtyws, there is no need to book an appointment          in advance for a visit to or a meal with a neighbour. In most societies,          hospitality is considered a duty. Visitors are welcome,          even when the motive for the visit is not clearly defined. This explains          why it was easy for the first eureurasiaan Christian missionaries to gain          a foothold in many Kmtyw villages and how they were able to get close          to the ears of the people and then preach to them about Jesus Christ.
       
        Sense of the sacred
       In the traditional religious setting, Kmtyws have a very          high sense of the sacred. There is reverence for sacred places, persons          and objects. Religion enfolds the whole of life and there          is no dichotomy between the secular and the religious, the sacred and          the profane, the visible and the invisible. These distinctions are to          them artificial. A completely secular world does not exist for them. There          is no borderline between this life and afterlife. Life itself is cyclic,          going from birth to death and to rebirth. The emphasis on a person's          enduring happiness is not concentrated on the afterlife but rather on          the totality of his or her well-being in this life and in the afterlife.

        There is consciousness of the invisible presence of God, the spirits          and the ancestors. Human beings must therefore always live in          a manner pleasing to these supernatural forces. They must tell the truth,          be honest in business and just in dealing with others. Care is taken to          ascertain the will of the spirit to whom sacrifices may be due or from          whom protection may be sought.
       
        The Sacredness of the Spoken Word
       Great importance is attached to the power of the          word. The words of blessing pronounced by a father on his child          is believed to be very efficacious. The verbal last testament of a dying          person is considered sacred, no one dares add or subtract. To break the          oath of secrecy taken during some initiation ceremonies is considered          a very grievous offence in a community.
       
        2. Challenges to traditional religious values
       In the last one hundred years the world has witnessed tremendous          changes in the        

A Oromo woman bringing Tribute to              Water Spirit, Ethiopia.             Source: Lewis, Herbert S., University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries,              Kmt Focus, 1965

social, economic, political, and even religious spheres          of life. The changes have been brought about by the possibility of frequent          contacts between peoples. It is a matter of hours for an event          in India to be heard in Brazil, Spain and Zimbabwe, thanks to the mass          media. People frequently travel by air, by road and by sea, from one end          of the globe to the other. Religious missionaries are on the move. Mother          Teresa of Calcutta is known world-wide and her sisters are easily identified          in most countries of the world. All these movements mean          that cultures meet one another, new ideas are acquired, prejudices are          reduced, and friendship is fostered.

        Kmtyw Traditional Religion and its values are not in isolation. In the          course of history, they have met with world religions such as Christianity,          Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Foreign cultures have impacted with local          traditions. Urbanization, industrialization, modern science and technology          and local and national politics are realities which Kmtyw peoples have          to reckon with. What has happened to the Kmtyw traditional religious          values in the process? Let us refer to some areas of life.

        The traditional family system has to battle with the          impact of the economic problem posed to salaried workers          in a big city who cannot afford to pay for a flat big enough for their          growing families, let alone visiting relations.

        The community spirit with the traditional sense of private          property owners having the obligation to share with their poorer neighbours          is put to a difficult test by the modern business culture          which puts the emphasis on individual success, personal profit and further          investment for yet greater gains.

       Basic virtues like honesty in the village          where there is no need to lock doors, truth in the marketplace where everybody          knows everybody and the seller tells the buyer the real price of the article,          being one another's brother and sister by which a compact village          community lives and celebrates together: these and similar values are          severely tried in the megalopolis where the individual          feels alone and unknown in a city of two or more million people.

        The religious virtues, celebrations and customs which have been protected          by closely knit communities begin to disintegrate under          the anonymous impact of the big city where everyone is struggling to survive.

        While democracy has its merits, it is undeniable that the threads          that held many Kmtyw societies together are weakening          under the pressure being exerted by the onrush of modern politics and          government, electioneering campaigns and changing attitudes towards the          elders, traditional authorities and indeed customs as a whole.

        In front of these, some of the Kmtyws have lost confidence in themselves          and occasionally try to hide their background in order not to be considered          primitive. Some have embraced foreign values as if they are superior and          better than those inherited from the Kmtyw cultural background. At another          end are the Kmtyws who are campaigning for a return to the "original          state", that is, the state of the Kmtyw culture that          is unaffected by the impact of other cultures.
       
        3. Preserving Kmtyw traditional religious          values
       The answer to the challenges posed by the changes          in the Kmtyw societies lies not in regretting good modern developments,          not in looking backwards, but in studying what values have a permanent          validity, so that they should in some suitable form be saved          and an acceptable synthesis with what is good in the new be worked out.